In 1994 a group of men took part in a medical trial that would change the course of sexual history (Picture: Quay Street Productions/Tom Jackson)
Before Viagra, the options open to impotent men were daunting; painful injections or the insertion of an inflatable pump inside the penis.
Or at least until 1994, when a group of brave men took part in a pioneering medical trial that would change the course of sexual history.
Their story is being told this Christmas in Russell T Davies’ Men Up, written by Matthew Barry, a heartwarming and at times devastating drama about a pilot that would transform the sex lives and relationships of generations of men.
The world’s first medical trials of the drug were held in Swansea’s Morriston Hospital in 1994 and Viagra quickly became one of the most profitable medicines in history, reshaping how we talk about sexual and mental health in the process.
Viagra’s magical properties were uncovered by accident. Originally, an international drug corporation has been hunting for a treatment for pulmonary heart disease but when testing it on miners in Merthyr Tydfil they found it caused erections.
The popularity of Viagra came after clinical trials were held on men in Wales (Picture: Getty Images)
Which is how we come to the trial at Morriston hospital, and one doctor’s hunt for men to experiment with the drug.
‘Previously, we had been told that impotence was psychological, but treatments started to develop which proved that impotence might be a physical issue,’ explains Dr David Price, who ran the trial and acted as medical Research Consultant for the drama.
‘It also became apparent that it was completely neglected by the whole profession and the diabetes world. So, I realised it was a neglected area where there was tremendous potential for doing good.
‘We set up the first trials in 94, and it was clear then after the first patient, we had something special. We had these ordinary middle aged Swansea men who were able to have sex for the first time in years after just taking a tablet.
The rest is history – it just took off,’ adds Dr Price. ‘It’s been a wonderfully rewarding and fun journey.’
Men Up tells the story of how Wales was at the heart of the rise of Viagra (Picture: Quay Street Productions/Tom Jackson)
A fun journey that relied on the bravery of a group of men who had to take the drug before watching porn in a hospital room attached to something called a ‘strain gauge’.
While the story of the trial is true, the characters in Men Up are fictional.
As writer and executive producer Matthew Barry says: ‘This is such an incredible story – it’s The Full Monty with Viagra.
‘I researched the medical context and the trial itself with Dr Price. We didn’t discuss the patients on the trial, I created fictional characters, thinking of the type of men who might have been on the trial, these working-class Welshmen.’
The heroes Matthew came up with are variously hilarious, vulnerable and complicated, often using humour to mask their pain. Embarrassed, emasculated and unable to please their partners and living in a time when men weren’t encouraged to talk like they are today. They carry their shame in secret, lying, avoiding their wives or changing the subject.
Dr Dylan Pearce (Aneurin Barnard) with Meurig Jenkins (Iwan Rheon)(Picture: Quay Street Productions/Tom Jackson)
One distressing scene shows Ffion (Alex Roach) blaming herself for the couple’s lack of intimacy; she believes her husband Meurig (Iwan Rheon) no longer finds her attractive after cancer left with a double mastectomy.
Meurig isn’t the only character knocked sideways by his inability to sustain an erection. Tommy (Paul Rhys) is a gay man who desperately lies about his sexuality because the trial was set up for straight couples.
Worried the love of his life might leave him if he can’t maintain their sex life, he is convinced by friend and clinical nurse Moira Davies (Joanna Page) to deceive the doctor to win a place on the trial.
Meanwhile, Colin (Steffan Rhodri) is a widower who may have found a second chance with Teresa (Lisa Palfrey) but he’s been without sex for so long, he calls off the relationship out of fear.
Then there’s Peetham ‘Pete’ Shah (Phaldut Sharma) who has a seemingly perfect middle-class existence with a good job, a beautiful home, friends and a wonderful life. He sees Viagra as the magic pill that will save his marriage.
Staffan Rhodri’s character Colin White uses Viagra to find love again with Teresa Rigby (Lisa Palfrey)(Picture: Quay Street Productions/Tom Jackson)
And finally; there’s Eddie, whose character shows the devastating implications of being able to sustain an erection.
Eddie, played by Mark Lewis Jones, is an extrovert who is always laughing and joking. But his big personality masks the pain of the deep insecurities and feelings of inadequacy caused by impotence. One poignant scene shows him making an attempt on his life, unable to bear the pain of a sexless future.
The five of them are brought together under the care of Dr Price’s inspiration; Dr Dylan Pearce (Aneurin Barnard), a pioneering, charismatic consultant who passionately wants to support men suffering from shame and indignity of impotence in specialist diabetes clinics.
‘Men kill themselves over this – the numbers are astonishing,’ explains Dr Price. ‘40% of diabetic men in their 40s suffer from some form of impotence. This is the most neglected complication of diabetes. And we don’t talk about it. Meanwhile, there are men out there – so many men – suffering in silence.’
Men Up has been described as ‘The Full Monty with Viagra’ (Picture: Quay Street Productions/Tom Jackson)
Morriston Hospital in Swansea where the trials took place (Picture: Georgie Gillard/ANL/REX/Shutterstock)
As Iwan Rheon adds: ‘A lot of the characters are at some form of a boiling point and their impotence is causing them mental harm. We find Meurig at a desperate point and a lot of this is about masculinity and the inability to talk about problems.
‘As men, we are getting better at it, but in the 90s, it was very much not a thing to talk about. Most people will know that through lack of communication and expressing your emotions, people drift apart, and you can become lonely and it’s a really dangerous thing.
‘We need to try to just get over the fact that we’re worried that someone’s going to laugh at you for something and you need to deal with these things.’
Men Up is about how sex is everything and nothing; the most important thing in the world but also insignificant in relation to love, friendship and real intimacy.
This sensitive, funny and at times desperately sad drama is really about mental health and about the ties that hold men down. The pill they take is Viagra, but the pill they need is honesty.
Creators hope to highlight about the serious mental health implications of erectile dysfunction (Picture: Quay Street Productions/Tom Jackson)
‘In this story, we really opened the door to see what it’s like for men who are struggling with being honest about what’s going on behind closed doors,’ explains Aneurin. ‘It’s so important, especially now, in this day and age to educate young men in particular, boys even, that it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel, it’s okay to be shy, it’s okay to be angry. We must make sure that we look after them in the process of learning that and it’s extremely vital for men to be honest about their feelings.
‘The suicide rates are terrifying with mental health in men and that’s without getting into physical, medical, financial, abuse or addiction problems. But with men, these issues are through the roof and there’s always a “man up” attitude. It’s almost like we need to “men up”, which is a different version of “man up” and means to open up about what’s going on.’
Which is the central theme of the show. These five men, alone, are isolated and depressed. But when they come together and form friendships, laughing about their vulnerabilities and being honest about their issues, they find the strength to grow. Pun intended.
Men Up will air on BBC1 on 29 December at 9pm.
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In 1994 a group of men took part in a medical trial that would change the course of sexual history – and it’s now a TV drama.
